AND FINALLY WE come to a game that promises to be as aesthetically pleasing as it is competitive.
Connacht and Grenoble [KO 8.05pm Irish time, BT Sport] are both intent on securing the Champions Cup qualification and silverware that Challenge Cup success would bring, and if these two teams stay true to their colours then we are in for a cracker of a quarter-final.
Pat Lam’s men are the most prolific try scorers in the Guinness Pro12 with 51, while Grenoble’s point scored total would have them fourth in the Top 14, behind only Toulon, Clermont and Montpellier.
In short, these are two rather serious attacking sides. Defensively, their records don’t read so well – Connacht have shipped 40 tries in the Pro12, and Grenoble have conceded the third most points of anyone in the Top 14.
Again, that bodes well for an open and entertaining contest. In contrast to so much of the rugby we have had to watch in recent months, Connacht and Grenoble put a premium on excellent attacking rugby. They both strive to defend well, of course, but one senses that more training-ground time is invested in what they do with their possession.
Both teams are superbly structured when on the ball, using forward link passes to shift the ball from touchline to touchline in well-rehearsed structures. Watching Connacht and Grenoble this season has thrown up a heap of familiar pictures.
“I have seen a couple of things and said, ‘That looks similar,’” says Lam. “There’s one in particular I saw which I came up with when I was coaching Auckland, and I saw it. We all learn off each other, and we all appreciate that some things work and we go through.
“But the biggest thing that Bernard’s done a good job on is the mindset of the team. Ball is turned over, and every time they are going to have a crack. Both teams are pretty good attacking teams. Defence is going to be crucial.”
The similarities between the sides should be apparent as soon as the game moves into phase play, and both teams will have benefited from their training sessions having been more finely tuned than usual this week.
Jackman underlines that his Grenoble back-up team would have slipped into the Connacht mindset rather easily.
“It was some of the best attack that our second team have put together all year, because you’re not asking them to do something that they haven’t been doing,” says Jackman. “Obviously it’s different every week, but we had a phenomenal session this week because the quality of the attack was really, really good.
“We’ve been having a good look at Connacht for the last four weeks and we thought this training week would be enjoyable. There’s things they do differently and we’ll have to adapt to that as well.”
Rugby teams always understand what’s coming, but that is a little more relevant for this Challenge Cup quarter-final. Lam appreciates that Grenoble will be expecting certain plays and shapes, but the difference will be in the decision-making.
“I think the thing about shapes is that they have all got options. It comes down to the players on the day being able to recognise if they have got an option to put a short ball, or put a ball out the back,” says Lam.
“If they are just going through a structure that will just pre-determine where they are going to go to, it’s not what we are trying to do; you have got to read the defence. If that defender gives you that hole, you hit that short ball – or if he comes jamming in you put it out the back.
“That’s what it’s all going to come down to in my view. There is really good shapes in both teams, but it comes down to the players on the day executing the right decision and executing the skill.”
What a joy it would be to see execution of skill and decision-making decide the outcome.
Grenoble:
15. Gio Aplon
14. Tino Nemani
13. Chris Farrell
12. Nigel Hunt
11. Lucas Dupont
10. Jonathan Wisniewski
9. Charl McLeod
1. Sona Taumalolo
2. Loick Jammes
3. Dayna Edwards
4. Ben Hand (captain)
5. Peter Kimlin
6. Steven Setephano
7. Mahamadou Diaby
8. Rory Grice
Replacements:
16. Paulin Mas
17. Fabien Barcella
18. Rossouw de Klerk
19. Mathias Marie
20. Fabien Alexandre
21. Lilian Saseras
22. Fabrice Estebanez
23. Fabien Gengenbacher
Connacht:
15. Matt Healy
14. Niyi Adeolokun
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Bundee Aki
11. Danie Poolman
10. Shane O’Leary
9. Kieran Marmion
1. Denis Buckley
2. Tom McCartney
3. Finlay Bealham
4. Ultan Dillane
5. Andrew Browne
6. Sean O’Brien
7. Eoin McKeon
8. John Muldoon (captain)
Replacements:
16. Dave Heffernan
17. Ronan Loughney
18. JP Cooney
19. Quinn Roux
20. James Connolly
21. John Cooney
22. Peter Robb
23. Fionn Carr
Referee: Matthew Carley [RFU].
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